Follow Your Passion Forward

It’s amazing how one positive choice can be the catalyst for a laundry list of incredible changes. Since my yoga coursework ended almost four weeks ago, all the pieces of my life continued to fall in line. I remained focused on what I knew I loved, open to new opportunities and conversations, and motivated to find ways to make this next chapter of my life the best one yet.

And right now, the future is looking pretty damn bright.

On May 8, I’ll be stepping up as the health editor of a cool new lifestyle website called Swirled. Joining former coworkers from both HuffPost and Odyssey, I’ll get a fresh chance to build wellness content from a truly clean slate. I learned so many valuable lessons in both of my old workspaces, and I’m excited to see that translate into the decisions this small, new team and I will make together. Creating a new brand is especially exciting when the people behind it have a clear view of what has (and hasn’t) worked in the past. It’s informed, it’s realistic, and it’s within our grasp.

I’m also investing more time each week into my personal brand (starting with this new website design, woo!). I’m super motivated by the idea of building my own presence and establishing Swirled’s wellness space in tandem because I think they are going to feed off one another so well and provide me with endless inspiration. I always say, “You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do,” and I feel like this is a prime example of me practicing what I preach lately.

And let’s not forget about yoga! I’m officially offering private and small-group yoga classes to friends, friends of friends, and those who inquire. I’m going to teach vinyasa and yin yoga with a focus on the philosophy of the practice as well as the value of meditation, but I’ll also happily customize the style of my classes to my students’ needs. And for those who want yoga integrated into a fun work or personal event, I’m here to help with that, too. I’m ready to learn even more about yoga from my new students and continue pushing myself forward with practice.

Last but not least, I’ll be feeding my soul by working on creative writing projects behind the scenes. I’ve thought about pursuing so many of them over the years, but I never committed the time to them. So the time is now. Because why not? If everything else is aligning so well with my newfound positive attitude and focus on the passions that truly drive me, then I doubt this pursuit will be the exception.

The message I want to leave you with today is this: find your passion and pursue it with all you’ve got. It’s not about a fat salary or a fancy job title or a big company name. It’s about the actual work you do while you’re at your office and the ways you work on yourself when you’re not that truly matter. If you spend your time on things you truly love, everything else will work out. You’ll stop watching the clock wishing it was 5 p.m. already, you’ll notice new opportunities and promotions arise because you’re clearly good at what you do since you love it so much, and you’ll end each day feeling fulfilled and grateful. I believe this with my full being, and I hope you can at least consider its implications for you.